The Case for Reconciliation

Once we understand the gospel message, we understand the significance, seriousness, and the motivation behind Jesus' command to be reconciled. The Gospel explains our resistance/our unwillingness to do so!

Here's great help for you to take your next spiritual step towards Christlikeness. "The Case for Reconciliation" is the second in a four part series on "Putting First Things First" (Matt. 6:33) in the matter of our relationships with others.

God the Father's Role, Part 3

Paul had given to his close friend Titus, the task of preaching to a church that was located on the island of Crete. One of the assignments given to Titus was to preach sound doctrine--the body of truth that defines the true gospel, the central themes of which are God, grace, godliness and Glory. And Paul presents those themes in each chapter of this short epistle!

The progression of the Gospel always follows this pattern--God, grace, godliness, Glory! "The faith of God's elect" (1:1) rests securely in God's unfailing and eternal purpose. God's elect trust in the Gospel and there is a definitive response to it--"they acknowledge the truth according to godliness!"

Find great encouragement and comfort in what God's Word has to say about "the faith of God's elect" (Titus 1:1): it's the only saving faith in the world; anything else brings the soul to Hell!

This message is the fourth in the series on Assurance of Salvation: Burning Away the Fog of Fear and Doubt.

Exam Day

How do you know if you are really saved? Many struggle with this issue and will find help here in this series of messages. Others claim to be saved but their life contradicts their claim. They have no biblical warrant for their claim in spite of the fact they "prayed a prayer when they were young." There is warning from God for those in that condition as well.

In this first message in the series, an overview of the topic of one's assurance of salvation is given; the sermon outline that is attached gives the roadmap to be followed. The good news is that you can settle the doubts regarding the matter of your soul's eternal destiny. You will never find assurance of salvation by looking inwardly or by looking to your past: far too many look to those for a feeling of security. Instead, there's an objective basis for your hope and evidences that God's Word gives that indicate whether a person has genuine saving faith or not.

Gospel Living - In the Fullness of Christ

Though the immediate threat to the Colossian church was false teaching attractively packaged in philosophical terms for these saints, there was also another danger--what Bishop H.C.G. Moule termed “an unapplied orthodoxy”. We face the same danger today in America - an unapplied orthodoxy; a misunderstanding of the person of Christ. Today far too many live the Christian life apart from the implications of the gospel of Christ: theirs is a life lived according to the standard of one’s own opinions, feelings or whatever the latest fad or trend may be.

The proof of that is clearly seen in the emptiness, the frustration, the carnality, the lack of genuine joy and rejoicing in the Lord that is so evident in so many Christians’ lives! It is not enough to have minds full of biblical information; it's not enough to quote proof texts for doctrinal positions that are held! We need more than mere theory or opinionated thinking if we are to live for Christ. We need to return to living life according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The truth of the gospel must get into our souls & saturate our thinking so that we walk in the light of the glorious truths concerning the person of theLord Jesus Christ.

The Gospel is our pattern for living as Christians. It is also the pattern for every other kind of rescue our Savior does for believers. Are you dealing with the same threats that faced the Colossian church--an unapplied orthodoxy? errorneous views or a misunderstanding of the person of Christ?

In the context of Colossians 2:6 lie great doctrinal truths about the person of Christ that lay the foundation for proper Christian living. The verse begins with a point of comparison: as you have received [once for all] the Christ [Who is], Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him. In other words, the Apostle Paul is declaring we are to live the Christian life the same way we received it.

The Significance of the Resurrection

Is there really life after death or do we just hope there is or is not? What is there is no resurrection of the body?
What if what we believe in is just a religion, no different than any other?

These are other questions like them have answers in God's Word. In 1 Corinthians 15:12-20, there are six big consequences if Christ's resurrection really did not happen. But if He did rise again as He said He would, then there are many more positive consequences!

What is The Significance of the Resurrection? Listen to this Easter message to find out.

The Good News

About nothing else were the disciples so slow to accept and Christ's enemies so quick to deny, than the fact of Christ's resurrection. It was not an event witnessed by men who were in the frame of mind to believe and receive it. They certainly made no attempt to fight or run off the soldiers who guarded the tomb in order to extract the body of Christ and then claim He had been resurrected from the tomb.

The Lord Jesus Christ is alive and stands in a class all by Himself when it comes to religious leaders. He alone is uniquely qualified to be man's substitute in life - earning a righteousness man desperately needs and the only kind a holy God will accept as a basis for entrance into Heaven - and uniquely qualified to be man's substitute in death--paying in full the penalty of man's sin that is required because God's law had been broken.

Because He is alive and the only One to conquer death, He can legitimately offer life - eternal life - to all who would receive it. The resurrection of Christ proves there is life after death. Ever give any thought as to where you will spend eternity? Here is some good news for you to receive!

Reconciliation: Enjoying the Peace of the Gospel

People who are at odds with one another don’t want to be around each other and neither do they find any particular motivation to do anything to remedy the state of hostility or effect a reconciliation. We have a good illustration of that fact in the life of David in 2 Samuel 14. David is at odds with his 3rd oldest son Absalom; there is an estrangement between them--a rift in the relationship.

King David’s general, Joab, confers with a wise woman of Tekoa to go intervene and ask for David to bring back his son Absalom from exile. In today's Scripture text, the words of this wise woman are very significant as they lay down a theological truth that will be explained later in detail in the New Testament.

God has devised means whereby His banished (every sinner) be not expelled from Him (i.e. a permanent estrangement). And the means God has devised has been revealed in the NT: the person & work of Christ is the means whereby every sinner can be reconciled to an offended God and know the joy & peace from being delivered from a permanent expulsion & punishment.

Listen to a very encouraging and faith-building message that helps you enjoy the benefits of the believing sinner's reconcilation with God--one of which is genuine peace!

Picture of Justification

Zechariah 3 opens with the 4th of 8 visions given to the Prophet Zechariah who ministered to the exilic Jews who had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. The message God would communicate to His people was to assure the hearts of spiritual people of their worth and value on the basis of God's work for them. The purpose of this vision was to answer the question, What qualifies a person to stand acceptably before God?

There is only one way to obtain a right standing with God: there is only one basis for acceptable service to Him. None can approach God on his own merits; all must come through Christ alone. And all who come are responsible to obey and serve the Lord. Few passages in the Bible supply greater insights into these truths than Zechariah 3 where the believer's standing, responsiblity and hope are set forth in the clearest fashion.

Be encouraged and challenged as you listen to our pastor's Sunday night message "A Picture of Justification."

United to Christ Vitally

This text of Scripture is one of Christ's "hard sayings" (John 6:60). But in it we find great blessing and truth for the believer to enjoy. What does it mean to "eat Christ" or "drink Christ?"

The Lord Jesus used physical food to illustrate spiritual truth--the problem was that many folk totally missed His point and focused only on the literal and the physical. They failed to connect the dots! But this was not just a first century problem: modern day denominations and religions have done the same exact thing as our pastor shows.

This classic text uses an analogy that helps us understand what it means for the Christian to be united to Christ in a vital way. There is challenging and encouraging truth in this message for every believer!

The New, Old-Fashioned Way

At a time when New Year's resolutions are the thing to do, Christians are reminded of times that they've resolved to live for Christ but have failed. Instead of living for Christ, they've allowed themselves to live like the world. Come listen to Ephesians 4:17-24 to learn the secret to living a successful Christian life--a life rooted in the Gospel and which rejects the world.

The Triumph of the Gospel, part 2

General Dwight Eisenhower challenged his troops with these words, "There are no victories at discounted prices." Many centuries prior, Columba of Iona, a 6th century missionary credited with spreading Christianity to present-day Scotland, once asked the question, "What is best for the Christian life? Simplicity and single-mindedness."

As Paul concludes his epistle to the Philippians with the words recorded in 4:21-23, there is a third evidence of The Triumph of the Gospel that reveals the simplicity, the selfless, sacrificial mindset, and single-minded devotion to Christ that characterized the early Church. It challenges us to get engaged in God's Kingdom work by being a witness for Christ and to advance His triumphant gospel. Are you giving evidence of the triumph of the Gospel in your own life?

This message is the second of a two-part message from Philippians 4:21-23.

The Triumph of the Gospel, part 1

The words in our text (Philippians 4:21-23) are far more than just mere expressions of "My friends say hello to you" or "Say hello to everybody for me" as Paul concludes his epistle to them. What we have are evidences of The Triumph of the Gospel - concluding words of encouragement for the Philippians to reflect upon the gospel, the effects it has had on them and other believers, and to live in the power of that gospel.

The dramatic changes evidenced in their lives had begun by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 23) and would be sustained by that same grace. Whether at 1st century Philippi or Rome, The Triumph of the Gospel was evident and it can be in our 21st century lives as well.

This message is the first of two parts.

The Secret to Peace with Circumstances - Contentment

The gospel of Christ is a gospel of grace and that gospel not only provides the only means whereby we can have peace with God, but it also provides genuine peace within. This peace within is not dependent upon our circumstances--the absence of turmoil. Rather, it is dependent upon a biblical view of God - His absolute sufficiency- and a biblical response to God - absolute surrender - as we face the uncertain and often troubling circumstances of life. This peace generates a real contentment that the Apostle Paul had to learn and likewise we.

From the text of Philippians 4:10-14, we need to see the vital connection contentment has with peace and living life God's way as well as between Christ and the circumstances of life. The Apostle Paul relays to the 1st century church at Philippi a critical truth that the 21st century church needs to learn: contentment is not based upon what we possess but upon Who possesses us.

The Need for the Gospel: Man's Condition, part 2

In part 2 of the message "The Need for the Gospel: Man's Condition," Pastor Mike shares the good news of the Gospel as Paul presents it in Ephesians 2:4-6. God expresses His great mercy, love, and grace in the salvation of the sinner: the power of grace is evident in the stark contrast presented in these verses and the preceding opening verses (vv. 1-3). Believing sinners are granted not only a new nature but a new way of life, a new standing with God and new privileges to enjoy.

#4 - The Essence of the Gospel: The Death of Christ

With the goal that our eyes might better see & our hearts better appreciate and soften up to the display of the greatness of God’s goodness & grace towards sinners, this sermon looks at two of three significant truths about the death of Christ that give evidence of His voluntary humiliation in accomplishing the plan of redemption.